“The airline said a second pilot has accompanied the man’s wife to be by his side in a hospital.”
Sounds like a mooselimb way for the wife to leave the home. With a male relative or trusted friend.
The aircraft was less than an hour from London when the first officer began “acting in a peculiar manner and talking loudly to himself”, according to one source.
Sean Finucane, a passenger on the flight, said the co-pilot “just wanted to talk to God”, adding: “He was yelling loudly but didn’t sound intoxicated.
“When they tried to put his shoes on later, he swore and threatened people. He was very, very distressed.”
The 149 passengers were taken to nearby hotels as the airline arranged for a replacement crew to be flown to Shannon to take the aircraft on to Heathrow, where it landed at 4.15pm on Monday, eight hours behind schedule.
Airport spokesman Eugene Pratt said the pilot requested a “medical diversion” but did not declare an official emergency.